On March 11, 2024, the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit denied a mandamus petition from AbbVie Inc. and Besins Healthcare Inc. (collectively “Petitioners”) seeking to overturn a district court order which required the production of documents prepared by in-house counsel pursuant to the crime-fraud exception to the attorney-client privilege. In re Abbott Lab’ys, No. 23-2412, 2024 WL 1040669 (3d Cir. Mar. 11, 2024). In its opinion, the Court cited the high bar for mandamus petitions, the lack of binding precedent with a similar fact pattern, and the alternative remedies that remain available to Petitioners.

On November 30, 2021, Judge Edward M. Chen of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California dismissed a putative class action alleging that the defendant smartphone supplier’s contracts with mobile application (“apps”) developers and related guidelines violate Sections 1 and 2 of the Sherman Act based on plaintiffs’ failure to allege a plausible relevant market or that they suffered antitrust harm.  Judge Chen also dismissed plaintiffs’ breach of contract, RICO, and fraud claims.  Coronavirus Reporter v. Apple Inc., No. 21-cv-05567-EMC (N.D. Cal. 2021).

On March 31, 2021, Judge Paul Gardephe of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York granted defendants’ motions to dismiss antitrust claims alleging separate purported conspiracies to suppress competition in the trading of U.S. Treasury securities and to boycott competitive platforms for the trading of such securities.  In re Treasury Sec. Auction Antitrust Litig., No. 1:15-md-02673-PGG (S.D.N.Y. Mar. 31, 2021).  In so doing, the Court found that neither “statistical analyses” based on averages of all market participants’ conduct nor reports of government investigations was sufficient to plead the involvement in a conspiracy by an individual defendant that is required to overcome a motion to dismiss.   
 

On March 31, 2021, Judge Mary Kay Vyskocil of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York dismissed a ten-count complaint alleging that defendant financial technology companies, Advent Software Inc. and its parent company, SS&C Technologies Holdings Inc. (collectively “defendant”), violated, inter alia, Sections 1 and 2 of the Sherman Act by refusing to renew a software license with one of its competitors and engaging in so-called “exclusive dealing arrangements” that allegedly foreclosed the competitor from the marketplace.  Arcesium, LLC v. Advent Software, Inc., 1:20-cv-04389 (MKV) (S.D.N.Y. Mar. 31, 2021).  The Court found that plaintiff Arcesium LLC (“plaintiff”), a technology company that licensed defendant’s portfolio accounting software, but competed with them in providing related “post-trade solutions” (technology and services used to provide middle- and back-office support for investment funds and fund administrators), failed to adequately plead antitrust standing.